I know that it was probably blasphemous (especially in a film class) to speak negatively of Katharine Hepburn. I have been watching old movies since I can remember, and I think the first movie I saw her in was one of her movies with Spencer Tracy. From a young age I can remember something about her was off-putting to me. I’m sorry to say it is so (and I make no judgments on her acting ability) I just have a hard time with her mannerisms, that’s all. Okay, I will stop talking about Katharine Hepburn (I’m sure I’ve angered enough people already) and move on.
Ah, Little Women. Before this class I had already seen both the 1933 and 1949 movie versions of this wonderful book. However, when I watched these movies I had not just finished the book and did not watch them back to back as we did for class.
1949 vs. 1933: Having just finished the book and deciding that it’s one of the best I’ve ever read, I had a hard time with both versions. That even surprises me because I don’t recall disliking either version the first time I saw them. I don’t know that there were any actors in either version that I truly liked. Come to think of it, the only actors I disliked were Hepburn, Montgomery (Laurie from ’33) and Taylor (’49) and maybe Beth from ’49. (I know I should like Liz Taylor, sorry I don’t). The rest of the actors (from both versions) I’m pretty ambivalent about. I fear that since I have such strong impressions about each character from the book nobody could live up to my expectations.
As far as the adaptation, it’s no secret that both movies were almost exact. The order of events was the same and even much of the dialogue. One aspect about both movies I really don’t understand; the fabrication that Laurie went to New York and didn’t see Jo, and then Jo couldn’t bear that Laurie didn’t see her. I don’t know what the point of that is. It did not happen that way in the book. I could even understand if Laurie did something in the book that really hurt Jo, but he didn’t. After seeing the movies I really don’t like Amy or Laurie in the end. Throughout the movies Amy is so conceited and selfish she really has no likable qualities. In the book Alcott points out how Amy has grown and she’s likable in the end.
Bottom line (in my opinion) is that both movies are ok, but there is no comparison between the book and the movies.
